Monday, September 29, 2008

I know, I know. I swore up and down no more posts until after October 24. Well....I lied. The first part of this post is a Youtube video.

Granted, it is not about pregnancy. But, it should be. This is why men do not have children. My friend, Lindsey Buchheit, and I have a theory about the role of husbands during the nine months of pregnancy. Husbands, boyfriends, significant others, partners, etc tend to get very whiney and helpless. This is a very natural way for women to prepare caring for infants before the baby is actually ever born. The woman is forced to tend to her very, very "sick" husband for nine months while she is at least 20 pounds heavier, every spot on her body is aching, has ached, or will ache, she is exceedingly exhausted, and she probably spends at least a third of those nine months hovering over a toilet. Jump forward to labor and delivery. Dear husband suddenly gets better but now the poor wife gets to turn around and care for a truely helpless infant. Talk about being well rehearsed! It makes so much more sense to me now. ;) Oh, and this whole idea of men being "sick" (having pregnancy symptoms) while his wife is pregnant isn't a myth. It is known as Couvade Syndrome and is well studied.

P.S. Lee, I still very much love you. Even despite your 6 month cold and your need for a Snoogle. :)

The picture I am posting was a fun photo op that we just had to take advantage of. Lee thinks I have the world's best beer belly (uhhh, thanks?). Just call me Homerette Simpson! Hahaha. Note the shirt. Yep, that's a shout out to our past beer drinking times at good ol' UW! GO POKES!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

When we realized we only had about 100 days before Cora's arrival, we decided it was time to get the essentials for the nursery. I am not allowing myself to do any more work on the nursery until after my candidacy exam. So, come October 25, back to nursery. In the meantime, if Cora shows up unexpectedly, we'll be ready enough.

Here are a few photos of our work in progress.

Lee putting the crib together

Wardrobe (makeshift closet) for all the cute clothes cousin Mya has given her

Change table and some necessities. Check out the awesome painting our friend, Steph, made for us!!

The rug we picked out. The glider is going. I hate it. The computer is also finding a new home.

One more close up shot of Steph's painting. Isn't she amazing??

As you can see, there is little left to do. We need a diaper pail and to stock the change table a bit better. My dear friend, Eva, is going to teach me to sew. That way I can make some sheets for the crib. She also found this great pattern for making a wall mural of fabric ABC's. I am also in the process of making a bird mobile. And, I have a wall decal of a tree I really like. So, most of what is left to do in the nursery is for me and Lee, not really Cora. As long as she is dry, warm, fed, and loved, I think she'll be happy. :)

Oh, we received a shipment of approximately 759 onesies/sleepers/newborn outfits from Grandma Brandis today. So, now, we have lots of clothes to put away too. Thanks, Mom! I love them. (Thanks also to Mya who was kind enough to quickly grow out of her clothes so her cousin could get some use out of them).

I swear this will be the last update until after my candidacy exam. Unless of course I take another belly photo. Then I'll be sure to post that. ;) See you all around Halloween!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Lee and I are about to embark on the greatest adventure we have yet to take. No, we're not traveling to a cool place nor are we moving...yet. We have decided to go down the road of parenthood. Lee and I are expecting a baby girl in December!! WOW. We don't think two people could be more anxious and excited to meet this little girl.

Since Lee and I thrive off taking the road less traveled, life with a baby should be fun. We constantly daydream about all the cool places we'll be able to go. We have no intention of "changing" our current lifestyle. Yes, people are always telling us nothing will ever be the same. Duh! But, wouldn't it be immoral and downright mean to not allow her to participate in our crazy adventures?? Of course we'll have to plan a bit better... :)

This blog is being created so friends and family can enjoy Cora as much as we already are. We are following in suit of one of Lee's cousins who has started a blog about her little girl. It is insanely fun to read. We are not going to focus much on Sascha's pregnancy, but more so on Cora. The blog will be a bit slow until December. However, we will post belly pictures so everyone can see how big she is getting.

We hope you enjoy the blog.

Here is a brief update on the last 6 months.

We found out on our 2nd anniversary that we were expecting. It was by far the best gift we could have given each other. I failed my final exam in statistics the next day, but for the first time ever my grades didn't matter to me. I did still pass the class...barely.

That last few months have been exhausting. But, really, I have loved every second of it. I don't know if Lee will be able to say the same thing. He has put up with so much and has been so loving through every mood swing, ache, and frustration. I know this little girl will be a healthy baby because he has made me laugh every day. It has to feel good to her when my belly shakes from uncontrollable giggles. She will, no doubt, be born to a world of smiles.

We found out at the end of July that we were expecting a girl. I couldn't believe it. I was 110% sure it was a boy. We had already picked out a name for a girl.

Cora Madison

Cora stems from the Coral Sea in Australia where we honeymooned (picture Sascha took while snorkeling in the Coral Sea). Madison is after the Madison River in Montana. A beautiful river with lots of good trout fishing. At one point, she was going to be Cora Sydney. Sydney after Sydney, Australia. Yes, we love Australia. When Lee mentioned Madison for a middle name, it stuck. We both loved the name and knew that was "it". We did have a boy name picked out. Nicholas "Nick" Bridger. Lee loves the name Nick and Bridger was after the Bridger-Tetons in Wyoming. Maybe some day we'll be able to use it. :)

We have been feeling her move since early July. I could sit for hours watching my stomach waiting for her to move. We agreed my belly resembles a popcorn machine. She is growing so fast. About a month or so ago, I cried the whole way to school because I thought she was growing up too fast. I just kept envisioning the first day of kindergarten, then highschool graduation, then college. Oh, I am not ready for that. Lee thinks I am crazy. We'll see who is crazy when the 1st day of kindergarten comes around and we both call in sick to work because our eyes are puffy and swollen shut.

For starters, here are a couple videos of our little pearl. These were taken when I was 19 weeks along. Who do you think she looks like?? I have completely dissected the videos, so I am curious to see what other people say.

About Me

I am a graduate student in biology at the University of Alberta. I have been married to the man of my dreams for 6 years. We welcomed our most beautiful baby girl to this world Dec 23, 2008. She is the reason I have started this blog. On Apr 29, 2012, our incredibly handsome son was born. My kids are the reason I continue writing this blog. They are my world.